One of the biggest concerns for gamers at E3 was the lack of games being shown that will be released in 2014. At least, that was the concern going into the convention, but it turned out there will be a good amount of stuff to play this year. However, 2015 clearly stole the show, as some of the most amazing experiences have already been announced for next year. Couple these specific games that we are going to look at today with the fact that the Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U will truly start getting into their groove, and it’s easy to see that 2015 just might be the best year for video games that we’ve ever had, even rivaling 1998, the year generally regarded as the greatest.

Dying Light

Just when you think the zombie trend is going to go away, a new zombie game is shown off that surprises you. Dying Light is shaping up to be the culmination of all of the zombie games we’ve seen released over the years.

Dying Light blends some fantastic open world movement during the day with a sense of pure dread and fear at night. The day is spent finding survivors, getting supplies, and roaming around the world. Once night time comes, it’s all about trying to survive. The infected zombies, who are slow and easy to avoid during the day, becomes sprinting death machines at night time. Proper set up during the day is what will allow you to survive at night. It sounds scary, intense, and downright fantastic.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The prequel to The Phantom Pain has already been released, and while most people were rather upset with it from a value proposition, almost everyone agreed that the gameplay was actually quite good. With the full game in 2015, that value issue won’t be there, and instead we will be left with the fantastic gameplay from the prequel, with the size and scope that we’ve all come to expect from the beloved Metal Gear franchise.

Of course, this isn’t just a rehash of the same old stuff from Metal Gear. Oh no, this promises to bring the stealthy action we all love to an open world setting, something that will completely change the way we play. If you’ve always found the linear nature of the Metal Gear games to be a turn off, Metal Gear Solid V will be the game for you come 2015.

Mario Maker

I really wish I knew more about Mario Maker, but even just the small section of gameplay from E3 was enough to make me excited. If you’re an old-school Nintendo fan, it’s quite likely that you’ve dreamed of being able to create your own Mario levels, and this game promises to deliver just that.

Here’s what we do know about the game: it will feature a horror theme, set in a Gothic city filled with the abominations we’ve all come to expect from these games. Outside of that, we know the gameplay is similar to the other games created by From, and that’s enough to make gamers the world over excited to get their hands on it.

But Wait, There’s More

This is only some of the best games announced for 2015. There’s others from Nintendo coming to the Wii U (I didn’t include the new Zelda because I doubt it will actually hit in 2015, but if it does, it will be amazing), plus all kinds of shooters, action games, and others coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC. On top of that, there’s the AAA games that haven’t been announced yet, plus the indie experiences that seem to sneak up on us from out of nowhere. If you love video games, 2015 is going to be a year filled with experiences that you will never forget.

What game are you looking the most forward to in 2015? Hit the comments section below and let us know!

Personally I think it's rather disgusting that Nintendo is going to release something like Mario Maker so incredible late, it was wanted for decades. And the reason is obvious, because of the weak Wii U sale numbers. Not really sympathetic, but still nice, yeah. Luckily there were other alternatives from the fan community, for example Super Mario Bros X.

Dave LeClair loves games on console, PC, mobile, handheld, and any electronic device that is capable of playing them! He manages the Deals section, writes articles, and does lots of behind the scenes work at MakeUseOf.